IU partners with Energy Research Center

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The Indiana Geological Survey, an applied research institute of IU, has been chosen as one of the U.S. partners in the newly created U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for Indiana University researchers to collaborate with leading universities, national laboratories and corporations in both China and the U.S.,” said Senior Research Scientist John Rupp, who is leading the IGS participation in the project. “The fundamental value of this collaboration is that we are going to combine our knowledge with those in China with complementary knowledge to address some of the tough questions associated with coal utilization and environmental issues.”

The CERC is an international research collaboration whose purpose is to facilitate joint research, development and commercialization of clean energy technologies for the United States and China.

The CERC has three divisions: energy efficiency, electric vehicles and clean coal technologies. The IGS is involved in the Advanced Coal Technologies Collaboration, a program that addresses key research tasks in support of clean coal power generation and conversion, the development of new and low-cost products and waste capture technologies, and the development of geological sequestration practices.

The research tasks under the CERC-ACTC will help to accelerate the development and deployment of clean coal technology in both the United States and China in support of economical and reliable electrical power, gas and liquid fuels.

“This is a validation to us that our partners recognize the value of the skills and talents we bring to the collaboration,” IGS Director John Steinmetz said. “We are fortunate to be among the foremost carbon sequestration researchers in the U.S. and in China, and we are very pleased to play such a prominent role.”

The IGS will work with geoscientists at Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories, the Wyoming Geological Survey, West Virginia University, the University of Kentucky and the University of Wyoming to investigate the application of new technologies to evaluate geological carbon sequestration.

“This partnership shows that we are very applied and very current and that we are investigating energy systems that have important consequences for world affairs and global environmental issues, such as climate change,” Rupp said. “We are very fortunate to have teams of researchers that can contribute to these contemporary topics, and I am pleased that we are fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.”

This collaboration will also build a foundation of knowledge, human capabilities and relationships in mutually beneficial areas that will enhance clean energy usage in both the United States and China.

Research about geologic carbon sequestration could help to reduce the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and have a positive impact on the environment in the future, Steinmetz said.

“Our hope is that the IGS and IU can make a very real contribution in research in this area,” Steinmetz said. “Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, IU will be known as an institution that had a positive impact on affecting climate change.”